


Bruises

by pleasereadmeok



Category: The Good Wife (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-25
Updated: 2015-01-25
Packaged: 2018-03-09 00:59:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3230246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pleasereadmeok/pseuds/pleasereadmeok
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The force of it sent Alicia flying off her feet.  Finn was dashing out of the building as she was entering.  He bumped into her so hard she fell and hit her face against the wall.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bruises

**Author's Note:**

> This was written after Alicia kissed Elfman. Still pissed about that. Don’t get me started. Don’t forget I haven’t actually seen any of Season 6 yet so if I get something wrong – don’t judge me.

Bruises

The force of it sent Alicia flying off her feet. Finn was dashing out of the building as she was entering. He bumped into her so hard she fell and hit her face against the wall.  
“God Alicia, I’m so sorry. Are you alright?” He picked her up off the floor. “God I’ve hurt you. Come over here and sit down.”  
When she got over the initial shock she asked, “Finn – how are you? I haven’t seen you for weeks. Have you been avoiding me?”  
They had been in the habit of meeting up for a drink or pancakes, but that seemed to stop suddenly a few weeks ago. When Alicia ventured into his office with the Bourbon bottle he was always out. Her calls went to voicemail and he only ever sent the briefest of texts back – he was busy, couldn’t talk now, sorry.  
“No of course not – I’ve just been really busy that’s all”. The lie stuck in his throat. He was not used to lying. It simply wasn’t in his nature to lie and for a lawyer that is saying something. He had been avoiding her since the debate practice.  
“ I missed you”, she said quietly. “There’s been so much happening it would be great to catch up”.  
“No – I mean I’m sorry I’ve got so much on for the next few weeks I just can’t”.  
“Finn…”  
He changed the subject “Let me have a look at that bump”, he gently pushed back her hair and examined her. “That’s gonna hurt – put some steak on it. Look at me”  
She looked into his eyes. They were blue today. Sometimes they looked green in a different light. “Parrot eyes” he’d called them.  
“Look at my finger. Follow my finger Alicia”. He moved his finger slowly from side to side to check her pupils followed. “You’ll live” he finished by playfully patting the tip of her nose with his finger and she smiled. He didn’t. He was annoyed that he’d allowed himself that little touch of intimacy between them. He had missed her too but he didn’t want to admit it.

“If you are busy maybe we could get together to eat sometime – at the diner? You’ve got to eat breakfast”.  
He seemed distracted.  
“Finn – please.”  
“Maybe. I’ll call you” another lie. “I’ve really got to go – sorry. Take care of that bruise”, he dived into a cab before she could say anything else.

Alicia went into her office and after getting some coffee and an ice pack from the freezer, she settled at her desk. She thought about Finn. He was such a kind, good man and usually so positive but seeing him today, he was subdued. It wasn’t like him. She wondered if there was something seriously wrong. Maybe his business wasn’t doing so well? Maybe his son was sick? Maybe he was sick?  
When Alicia had said that she missed him it was an understatement. She had been desperate to speak to him after the debate camp. He’d left early and that had been the last time she saw him. She wondered if Peter showing up like that had made Finn back off suddenly. She was having so much fun debating with Finn. He was hard on her but he was playing with her as well. She loved it. Finn knew that Peter was suspicious because of that photo of him leaving her apartment. Witness prep – “disgusting!” – Finn had said it like it was the naughtiest thing they could possibly do. She laughed as she thought about it. Finn was more than capable of winning a war of words with Peter but he knew that a confrontation wouldn’t have helped her right then. He understood that the debate camp was about her – not him and Peter. So he backed off. She hadn’t expected him to back off this much. Most of all she was desperate to tell him about kissing Johnny. She felt sick to think about it now. It was a big mistake. As soon as she left the parking lot she had a feeling that she had been disloyal, unfaithful even – not to Peter, but to Finn. She wanted to tell him the truth. She didn’t want any secrets between them. But now he had all but disappeared from her life. Now she was missing a part of the complicated jigsaw that was her life. She didn’t feel complete without him. It hurt her to think that they might not get that easy, comfortable feeling of just being around each other back. She had lost Will in the most horrible way possible. Now she was losing Finn.

As Finn sat in the cab on his way to his meeting he thought about Alicia. They had been friends. They’d enjoyed each other’s company, made each other laugh and generally supported each other like friends do. He had felt as if it could have been more. They were getting close. Since separating from his wife he’d had the odd hook up but Alicia was the only woman he’d had any real feelings for.

What happened changed that. He had to back off, to give her space to be with…  
To give her space to be with Elfman.

If he hadn’t had to take that long call before he left the parking lot that day, Finn wouldn’t have seen her kiss him. The look of pure joy on Alicia’s face as she walked away told him that Elfman made her happy. He wanted her to be happy. He had no claim on her – she was married anyway and now she had found someone new. It hurt Finn because he had thought they had something special, something that could be really good and he had been mistaken. It bruised him. It hurt more than it had a right to. Of course Finn could still see her and be her friend but for now he needed to back off to preserve his heart.

 

Finn was woken by the doorbell. He checked the clock. 6am. He pulled on some jeans and went to the door. He checked the spyhole and saw Alicia on the landing. She pressed the bell again. He turned his back and leant against the door. Maybe he should just not answer. No – that wasn’t in his nature either.  
He opened the door and tried to sound bright. “Hi. What’s up?” He noticed the black eye immediately. “God – I’m so sorry, does it hurt?”  
Alicia smiled at the sleepy, half naked, Finn. “Hi. No it’s fine. Sorry it’s so early but I didn’t want to miss you. I brought you breakfast.” She waved the bag from his favourite bakery in his face and she had two coffees as well.  
“Finn I need to talk to you - it’s really important”.  
“OK – you’d better come in then. I’ll just go and … er …put something on”.  
He went to the bedroom and through to his bathroom. He splashed his face with water to wake himself up. “Just get this over with”, he said to the face in the mirror. He pulled on a t-shirt and took a deep breath before joining her in the kitchen.  
“OK”.  
“Something happened last time I saw you that I feel awful about”. She had rehearsed this over and over. “Finn – please, before I tell you I want you to know that I really like you and I love the time we spend together”  
Finn was thinking – in a minute she’s going to say, “It’s not you, it’s me”. It felt like she was dumping him before they’d even got anywhere!  
“I did something stupid and I don’t want it to come between us. I have to be honest with you. I don’t want to lie – not to you”. This time she took a deep breath.  
“The debate practice went well for me and I’d nailed Peter. I was feeling sort of – elated – then I got this call to say that Cary was going to be OK and I was so relieved and happy. I can’t work out why… It was such a big mistake.”  
Finn turned away to get some plates from the counter. With his back to Alicia he said quietly “Alicia, it’s OK. I know. I saw you”.  
“Oh God” suddenly everything was crystal clear to her. “Finn – I’m sorry”. She stood up and lightly touched his shoulder.  
“It’s not like you owe me anything. It’s not like we’re together.” He turned and leant back against the counter.  
“I know, but it was starting to feel like … we might be together. At least that’s what I thought”.  
He smiled, suddenly feeling relieved – “Me too”.  
“Can we get passed this?”  
He grinned – “Well that depends on …. if you got my favourite pastries”. He laughed – Finn was back. He felt like an enormous weight had been lifted from his shoulders and Alicia felt it too.  
“So? What pastries did you get?”  
“Cherry Danish”  
“With the almonds?”  
“Yes”  
“I love those”, he grabbed the bag and took a bite. “I missed you so much. Come here.” He caught hold of her hand and pulled her towards him into a hug. She had never been so close to him before. He broke away, just enough to kiss her. He tasted of the cherry danish and she couldn’t help smiling as they kissed. It was tender at first and quickly more passionate. They both knew that they were going to be VERY late for work that day. Suddenly she winced with pain. He had kissed her bruise and it hurt. “I’m so sorry I hurt you”. She wasn’t sorry. The bruise had led them to this moment. She was happy.


End file.
